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JOURNAL ENTRIES
(Posted Aug 20th, 8:45 am ET)
August 19th, 2004
Carol Francis, Chaperone
Well, we have had quite a journey already. Imagine nine students, one nurse, one chaperone, and our leaders Geoff and Barb, for a total of 13 people, stuffed into a 15 person van with all the luggage for the expedition, plus camping gear for last night! Having a book on tape (Fluke) to listen to today really helped us through the trip!
Last night we crossed by ferry at Tadoussac, where we got a special invitation to visit the Gremm Marine Research Center in Tadoussac. Of particular interest was a newly assembled bone structure from a minke whale, which stranded and died, along with its unborn fetus. Fishing gear poses a special hazard for marine mammals, particularly those who bottom feed, as they can get caught and then die from lack of oxygen.
Our dinner last night was an adventure in itself, as we basically took over a little diner near the campground, which had hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, toasted cheese sandwiches, and a French Canadian specialty called poutine, or French fries, chunks of white cheese and gravy. The diner was family-run, and it probably felt like a hurricane hit them, as we took nearly every chair in the room!
Camping at Le Paradis Marin aux Escoumins, or the Marine Paradise at Escoumins, was a special treat! We got into four tents in record time, and were soon asleep, awakening early to whales and a seal! Most of us were up about 6:15 a.m. How could you sleep with minke whales and harbor dolphins feeding near shore? The lone seal we saw was probably a Gray seal, as its head was too large and flat to be a more common harbor seal.
So imagine being in this van for about eight hours today, and then finally arriving to our beautiful sailing ship the Sedna IV! We had a quick visit first to the Mingan Island Cetacean (whale) Study Center, and will return there tomorrow. There were 18 of us at dinner, including the five crew members, and we will be helping the crew with daily duties. Tomorrow we set sail to go looking for whales!!!
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Denise McCracken
Our early morning wake-up by the Minke Whales brought us out to view the sunrise from our campsite and gave us a chance to explore along the beach which was composed of Metamorphic rock with many Tidal pools.
Packed into the Van and off by 0930 gave us a good start on the long journey to Longue Pointe de Mingan. The many miles of road passed quickly by with the help of "Flukes" our book tape amusement. I felt the influence of the French culture along this coast more evident and the signs more French than anywhere else we've been. The road runs close to the St. Lawrence and the many small towns we passed were crisp clean and the gardens full of summer bloom. Many rivers spill into the Gulf and make the scenery beautiful even on a rainy day.
Tomorrow we will begin out first full day on Sedna.
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Jackson Buckle
A picture is never as clear as when you see it through your own eyes. Crystal clear is the memory from a voyage such as this. My only regret is that not everyone can be here along with us, but at least we can share it through photographs and our written words.
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Sarah Boteler
Today we arrived on the Sedna IV! The journey up until this point has been fun though. For me it started in Ottawa (where I live) when I went to Geoff's house and then from there along with two other students we set out on our journey to Quebec City to meet up with the rest of our group.
We were very eager and nervous to meet the others and loud (something Geoff can attest to)! We also made the most of the space that we had in the van knowing that later with all thirteen of us we would no longer have that luxury. We arrived in Quebec, met the others (a very nice bunch) and set off again for some more driving. We were packed in tightly which help speed up our "get to know each other" time. That night we stopped to camp. The next morning we caught our first glimpses of whales and seals. I'm looking forward to seeing them close up.
We once again set off for our next nine-hour drive. This time we had a novel on tape called Fluke to occupy us. We soon learned that it is a very interesting story. It is of course about whales but with many strange elements thrown in. It certainly is interesting if anyone wants to read it. We definitely got some, ummmm, enjoyment out of it!
In total since Ottawa we have driven over one thousand three hundred kilometers! Now we are on the ship and beginning to be assigned ship duties. I'm very excited, and eager to get under way! We have to keep the good karma flowing in hopes of seeing some more whales soon.
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JOURNAL ENTRY II
(By phone: Posted Aug 19th, 12:45 pm ET)
“Hey everyone! We’re calling from ‘the road’ - in Baie-Comeau, Quebec where we have just stopped for lunch. Everything is going well. It was raining a bit earlier - but nice just now. We are about to head out again - hoping to arrive in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan by 6 or so tonight - where our vessel SEDNA IV is awaiting our arrival. We should be on board for dinner! We’ll try to send some more pics tonight as well.” Stay tuned.
Student quotes: “Hey awesome” and “We love buses”! Way to go Geoff et al.
It is here that we'll meet up with Richard Sears our lead whale researcher for the expedition, and have a chance to visit the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study's (MICS) field centre, which Richard created some 20 years ago.
CHECK OUT the Blue Whale Photos at MICS website: click here
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Area Marine WEATHER
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JOURNAL ENTRY I
(Posted Aug 19th, 9:00 am ET)
August 19th, 2004 7:15am
Good morning from the shores of the beautiful St. Lawrence River!!! This morning we were awakened by the sounds of whales! It's really true. Last night we arrived to our campsite at Le Paradis Marin around 10:00pm and set up camp. It was a long day of travel but a great chance to get to know each other in the rather "close" quarters of our minibus. And what a beautiful drive it is from Quebec City along this north shore of the mighty St. Lawrence!
Our expedition took the water for the first time as crossed the Saguenay River by Ferry and arrived to the picturesque village of Tadoussac. This is the whale watching capital of region if not the entire country. Every sign, store and restaurant has a picture of a whale or is named after a whale. And for good reason, because many species of whales migrate to these waters every year, and Belugas are year round residents. Upon arrival to Tadoussac, we were very lucky to be given a special tour at the wonderful Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre run by GREMM (Groupe de Recherche et d'education sur les Mammiferes Marins).
We were greeted by Veronik who gave us a fantastic welcome and tour of the center, which included a short film called "Encounters with Whales". This powerful documentary was made by our good friend and SOI'er Jean Lemire and Alain Belleheumer, and featured our very own whale researcher Richard Sears! It was a perfect introduction for the expedition, and the excitement level keeps building by the minute!! A special thank you to Veronik and her team!
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Millions of stars filled the night sky as our tired group crawled into their tents to end our first day. For some that sleep did not last long. According to Phillip, he heard the first whales at 3:30am! He heard a ship heading east at 4:00am, and his first sighting together with Jeffrey and Jackson was at 5:30am! The boy's tent definitely beat the girls tent this morning for the earliest wake-up.
At the moment, as I sit here at our picnic table, the students eating breakfast and packing up the tents and gear. It is a spectacular morning, and you can literally hear the whales breathing just off shore! Where's my kayak?!!!!! Actually it is on the roof of our van, but that will have to wait til later. This morning we are going for a hike down the rocky shoreline to the lighthouse to look for whales, and then we pack up the van and continue our eastward journey towards the Mingan Islands and our waiting ship, the SEDNA IV!
We hope that you will follow us here on the website for the next 10 days or so. We look forward to sharing our experiences and adventures!!
Geoff Green
Here is a quick entry from one of our student adventurers, 16 year old Jackson Buckle:
"Getting up at 5:30 is not my idea of a good morning, BUT after spotting several Minke whales and a school of dolphins, and a beautiful sunrise, I decided it was definitely an experience worth having. We're off to a great start!"
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